The exemplary embodiment relates to a system and method for managing data-receiving devices and finds particular application in connection with a method of providing native scalable management of a fleet of managed devices.
Computer-operated image forming devices, such as printers and copiers and the like, often require software updates to manage security or other settings. Managing a fleet of such devices is common today. However, managing such a fleet generally requires a separate server, which is both costly and complex to set up and maintain. While well-suited for larger corporations, this approach is generally not viable for many businesses.
Thus, while larger organizations, with a large number of devices, may have a substantial, highly-trained support staff to handle updates to a fleet of devices and large, expensive dedicated external servers, such resources may be impractical for smaller organizations. It would be helpful for both small and larger organizations to be able to efficiently manage the distribution of files across a fleet of devices with built-in functionality.
Centrally managed topologies have benefits and challenges. For example, it can be a bottleneck in the distribution of large files (e.g., software upgrades) when many devices attempt to simultaneously download from the same server. This and other issues present a barrier to entry into fleet management and file distribution.
There remains a need for a system and method for distributing files across a fleet of devices in a way which facilitates efficient data distribution and device management and scales as needed.